(Source: Writers.com)

Trademarks & What
to Do With Them

According to the International Trademark Association <http://www.inta.org/>, a "trademark is any word (Poison), name (Giorgio Armani), symbol (a logo), device (the Pillsbury
Doughboy), slogan (Got Milk?), package design (Coca-Cola bottle) or combination of these, i.e. a mark that identifies and
distinguishes a specific product from others in the market place, i.e. in trade. Even a sound (NBC chimes) or color combination
can be a trademark under some circumstances. The term trademark is often used interchangeably to identify a trademark
or service mark. A service mark (Harrods) is similar to a trademark, but it is used in the sale or advertising of services
to identify and distinguish the services of one company from those of others. The owner of a trademark must make a considerable
effort to ensure proper use thus assuring continued protection.

In general writing, however, just capitalizing
such names is considered correct. You do not need to include the symbols (r) or TM.

In formal writing and some
journalistic styles, a trademark is used as an adjective modifying a noun, never as a noun. Trademarks can be treated as modifiers
occasionally, as in: She bought a Minolta camera.

In journalistic or formal use you should not change the mark to the
plural form. Instead, make the descriptive noun plural. (Oreo cookies. Not Oreos; DC-10 airplanes, not DC-10s) However, in
fiction -- especially in dialogue -- you may. Your tattooed, tough-guy biker character would say, "Mount them Harleys and
ride!" not "Mount them Harley-Davidson motorcycles and ride!" (Harley is a trademark as well as Harley-Davidson.) Nor should
you make a trademark possessive, unless it is in fiction or acceptable style for a particular publication. (Back to the biker:
The Harley's chrome reflected the morning sun.)

If a trademark is in possessive form to begin with, leave it as such.
Our biker would drink Jack Daniel's rather than Jack Daniels. He wears Levi's or Levi's jeans, not Levi jeans.

How
do you know when it is a trademark or service mark? International Trademark Association catalogs thousands of registered trademarks
and service marks at http://www.inta.org/>. INTA also will provide information via email or by phone.

Here are a few words
that are still trademarks, although some mistakenly assume they are generic: